


Drawn to You

by Katergator



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, Soulmate AU, Soulmate prompts, This idea took hold of me and wouldn't let go, You like fluff and a little bit of angst right, some mild swearing in here but otherwise G rating applies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:53:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26059024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katergator/pseuds/Katergator
Summary: Astrid's soulmate is a fantastic artist- the proof shows up on her skin daily, so much so that it interrupts her entire life. While the work is beautiful, she struggles to reconcile her bitterness that her skin never feels like her own.Hiccup, a dreamer and an outcast, pines after Astrid even though he knows it's wrong to covet someone that's not meant for him. He finds refuge in his art, and surely if there was someone out there for him, wouldn't they have responded by now?
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 76
Kudos: 194





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ope, just gonna squeeze on past you and drop this right here...
> 
> I saw this Soulmate AU prompt: "When a person writes or draws on their skin, it shows up on their soulmate's skin as well." So this idea just took hold of me and I had to write some Hiccstrid for it, cause it seemed perfect for them. 
> 
> This has been in the works for awhile and I'm tired of not posting things. Also sorry if this isn't edited as cleanly as my other stuff, I only went over it with my fine tooth comb like six times instead of the normal twenty+ because I'm nuts like that lol. 
> 
> This is Part 1 and I only have some of Part 2 written, so please don't hate me when you get to the end of this chapter! :O

Astrid bit her lip and slouched in her seat.

Numbers and letters blurred together on the dry erase board, algebraic formulas the furthest thing from her mind as slight heat traced across her right arm.

Her soulmate must be doodling again.

With a pen this time, so it felt like. Every phantom stroke of the utensil traced across her skin as though her soulmate physically drew on her own arm. Sometimes he used paint and brushes that tickled, other times pen, a few times sharpie marker that took a couple washes to fade. She could distinguish every type of art supply he used.

She hadn't met her soulmate yet, but she thought of him with male pronouns. Though soulmates could turn out to be anyone, her general orientation leaned toward a man. Plus the style of work on her arms gave the impression it was drawn by a guy.

She huffed and grabbed her arm, balling the end of her sleeve into her fist. She often wore long sleeves to avoid scrutiny from her classmates and the public. It made summers awful. Short sleeves, swimsuits, and beautiful scrolling artwork only made their appearance when the heat became unbearable.

Whenever her arms were visible, people complimented the amazing drawings and commented that her match must be an incredibly talented artist. Most people only had odd doodles, phone numbers, grocery lists, smiley faces, pen scribbles.

And of course, love letters, locations, and plans to meet once the soulmates were ready to start their future together.

For as much as her soulmate drew on his own arms, he never once addressed her directly in all the things he composed, which confused her. He had to know the marks appeared on her? Why draw so many things, knowing it would etch on her skin, and never attempt to contact her? Or, even more frustrating, ask if she liked being a walking canvas with enough artwork to be her own exhibition.

Admittedly, the drawings were always beautiful. Sometimes, as she felt the caress of pen or brush spread on her body, she would escape to the bathroom and roll up her sleeves to admire her soulmate's work. Then the bathroom door would open as someone entered and she'd tug her sleeves down again, reminded that she couldn't be a normal person with a silly smiley face scribbled on her wrist that no one noticed.

Instead she had sprawling landscapes, beautiful human figures, fairies, dragons, and other fantastical creatures, at the mercy of her soulmate's whimsy.

Except for the one time when her soulmate must have had a bad day. Only drawn on the right arm, a sole human figure held his head in his hands, curled up and broken, blackness painted with messy broad strokes.

She almost broke her resolve and wrote _are you okay?_ on her palm, where he would see it, but she closed her fist and let it go. She refused to acknowledge her artist unless he contacted her first. Until then, long sleeves and aiming for class valedictorian took up all her focus.

ooo

Hiccup should really stop doodling on his arms so much and pay more attention to his classes. But, since no one had ever responded to all his drawings, he figured there couldn't possibly be someone on the receiving end to care. Surely if he had a soulmate they would've commented by now? If anything just to say _hey your art sucks, just like everything else you do._

Supposedly everyone had a soulmate. Some people even had multiple if they were polyamorous, and others had platonic soulmates if they were aromantic or asexual. Figures he didn't have one out of all the people in the world, and if he did have one, his remained silent and mysterious. Sometimes people never met their soulmate for various reasons and he resigned himself to a lonely fate.

Instead, after putting a finishing flourish on a detailed tree that extended up into his bicep, he glanced over at Astrid Hofferson.

It was wrong. He shouldn't watch everything she did out of the corner of his eye. His heart shouldn't beat faster and his stomach flip flop every time he caught sight of her in the halls. He shouldn't enjoy getting smacked in the face with a red rubber playground ball when she tagged him out in dodge ball.

Just like everyone, Astrid had a soulmate too and it was wrong to pine after her when she was intended for someone else. Sometimes he'd strain to catch a glimpse of her arms, just to determine if she had any distinguishing marks he could recognize, but she always wore long sleeves.

One time he hovered a sharpie over his neck, intending to make a mark and see if it appeared on the pale column of her throat, but he lost his nerve. He tapped the marker with a restless index finger and rolled it up and down on his desk until someone glared at him to stop.

ooo

“Wee-oo wee-oo nerd alert, nerd alert!” Snotlout mocked, sticking his leg out in an attempt to trip Hiccup as he walked to his seat in the cafeteria. The twins cackled as he gingerly avoided the lump of meat Snot called a foot and continued on his way. He glanced at Astrid, who took a bite of her pizza and acted like she didn't notice him or Snot being a dick as usual.

He sat down alone, mindlessly scrolling through his phone and barely tasting the food he ate. Once he finished he pulled the pen from behind his ear and tapped it on the table. He held out his wrist and drew three solid lines on the underside of his arm, scribbling them deep on purpose.

Out of his peripheral vision he saw Astrid startle and clamp down on her right forearm, the very same side he had drawn on himself. He stared for a moment, thoughts whizzing.

She looked irritated and glanced around to ensure she wasn't being watched, then peeked down her sleeve. She shook her head in annoyance.

He looked down at his own wrist, then back at her. He deliberately drew another mark and watched her reaction.

She gripped her arm again and stood up in a huff, sliding her tray off the table and tossing the rest of her unfinished lunch into the garbage.

His heart pounded in his chest. Was it possible? Could it be...?

Maybe it was just a coincidence. His eyes followed as she stalked out of the cafeteria.

ooo

Astrid stomped into the bathroom, yanked her sleeve up, and furiously scrubbed at the marks with soap and water in a futile attempt to wash the evidence of her soulmate's thoughtlessness from her skin. She was tempted to write all manner of unsavory things on her arms, just so the jerk would know exactly what she thought about his carelessness with her body.

Only seedy tattoo parlors didn't have patrons and their soulmates sign consent forms before they got ink; reputable places refused to tattoo anyone who didn't expressly have permission from their soulmate. Even if the drawings weren't permanent, she didn't give her consent to be a walking billboard advertising someone else's art and it burned her up inside.

There were support groups and dating sites specifically for people who didn't want to be with their soulmate, people who bucked tradition and fate, people who wanted to define themselves rather than have the universe define them. Maybe she would have luck there, find someone who was just as interested in academics like she was, rather than a selfish bastard who gave her about as much consideration as some asshole getting a dick tattooed on them by a random dude with shady credentials and a cheap ass tattoo machine in a back alley.

She returned to her next class, attempting and failing to shake off her irritation.

About halfway through a sheet of calculus equations the fire alarm went off. Her class looked up with varying levels of confusion. No one remembered a scheduled fire drill for the day. Smoke filtered past the door and everyone jumped up with a renewed sense of panic. Her teacher called out instructions over the blaring siren and they filtered into the hallway, joining the streams of nervous students pouring out of classrooms and jostling their way outside.

The sound of fire trucks could be heard several streets away as Astrid stepped into sunshine and stood in a cluster with Ruff and Heather. Students chattered with excitement as the trucks pulled up and firefighters jumped down.

“Does anyone know what happened?” Astrid asked, watching the firefighters as they spoke with the principal and entered the school.

“There was a fire in the chem lab. I'll give you one guess who was responsible,” Ruff said gleefully.

Immediately Astrid's eyes scanned the crowd and found the one student who sat alone on the curb with his head in his hands instead of gawking at the whole spectacle. She frowned and felt a moment of pity for him.

An expensive sleek black car pulled up and a massive figure stepped out. The district superintendent had arrived, which caused even more whispering between the groups of students.

Hiccup looked up and panic crossed his face. He scrambled to his feet.

“Dad, Dad I'm so sorr-”

Stoick held up a hand to stop his words. “Hiccup, I don't want to hear it.”

“I'm- I'm safe, by the way, thank you for asking-”

“I can see that, son. You're lucky you're safe, and every other student here! What were yeh thinkin'?”

“I- I wasn't, it was an accident-”

“If yeh paid half as much attention to your studies as yeh do those doodles on your arms you might not be in this situation, putting the whole school- students, faculty, _and_ building at risk!”

Stoick brushed past Hiccup and joined the principal and a group of firefighters to assess the damage in the lab. Hiccup hung his head as students parted around him with more whispers.

Snot and the twins jeered behind Hiccup's back. Astrid shot them a look of disapproval and another wave of sympathy washed over her at the sight of Hiccup's slumped, defeated shoulders. Then something on the underside of his forearm caught her eye.

Four long dark lines, identical to the ones gracing her own. Her breath left her like a wrecking ball slamming into her chest and dizziness assaulted her head. She sank to the grass.

“Astrid, are you okay?” Heather asked, dropping to her knees and placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.

“I'm, I'm fine.” Her voice sounded far away, like she was trying to speak under water, and the sound of her heartbeat thumped in her ears. Hiccup turned away and Astrid saw the top of his arms. A scrolling tree on one and a stylized black dragon on the other. She gasped for air. The same designs currently residing on her skin. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Aside from noticing the bullying or random mishap he caused, Astrid didn't pay much attention to Hiccup. He generally was in trouble for one thing or another and the majority of students either ignored him or regarded him as a nerd. Snot and the twins especially liked to pick on him, and while Astrid felt bad for Hiccup, she also felt like it wasn't her place to step in and stop it.

Mostly because Hiccup actually had a mouth on him and a razor sharp wit that went over Snot and the twins' heads. She often hid a smile when Hiccup said something particularly smart or cunning, and silently awarded him a point in some absurd mental score keeping.

Right now, Hiccup looked like he didn't have anything witty or cunning to say, and would rather a spontaneous sink hole open up underneath him and swallow him whole.

If he really was her soulmate, she would have to start keeping tabs on him more.

ooo

The drawings were gone when she woke up. She almost decided to wear short sleeves today, but worried Hiccup might start doodling in class. If he were even her soulmate. Which was a dizzying and confusing prospect.

Hiccup could easily rival her for valedictorian if he just applied himself. She assumed his low self esteem had something to do with it, due to his reputation at school and troublesome family life, if the altercation with his father was any indication.

Just because she pitied Hiccup didn't mean she ever considered him soulmate material. On the surface they seemed to have nothing in common and his penchant for disaster wasn't exactly desirable.

Deep down, even though it was horribly shallow of her, she couldn't even imagine the school's reaction if they turned out to be soulmates. Hiccup wasn't popular and she cringed at the thought of all the gossip and rumor mongering that would tear through the school faster than talk of who slept with who after a house party.

If this were the real deal, if she had to even entertain the idea, she needed to know everything about him. There had to be more to him than his less than stellar reputation.

Phy Ed provided the perfect opportunity. Since no drawings had appeared during the day and Hiccup was in her class, she wore a t-shirt and spandex shorts for volleyball.

Astrid excelled at volleyball, she was captain of the varsity team and basically everyone on the opposing side resigned to lose. Amazingly Hiccup happened to be placed on her team. He wasn't the most coordinated, but he was tall and could potentially block any spikes coming over the net. He stood next to her in the center position front row, quiet and sullen and looking completely unprepared to play the game. His arms were bare and free of any masterpieces.

She crouched, waiting for the other team to serve. It hit the net and she internally sighed. Playing volleyball with people who weren't good at volleyball was frustrating to the max.

Heather was up to serve on Astrid's side. Heather was also on the varsity team so Astrid knew the ball would at least make it over the net.

She clapped her hands encouragingly. “Okay guys, remember bump, set, spike, here we go here we go!”

Heather's serve cleared the net and Astrid prepared herself for the return. The other team just barely tipped the ball over the net and she called “Mine!”

Hiccup backed away and Astrid spiked the ball over, scoring a point.

Heather served again and another player on the team sent it over the net right toward Hiccup's position.

“Hiccup, get it!” Astrid called, light on her feet and ready to intervene. Hiccup threw his hands up, unprepared to actually play, and the ball fell on their side of the court.

Huffs and moans of disappointment came from their team. His shoulders slumped.

“Hey, it's okay, next time,” Astrid said to him, giving him a nod. His eyebrows rose and his posture perked up. Something in her heart broke when that tiniest bit of kind encouragement seemed to lift his mood.

Her thoughts distracted her as she waited for the serve. Most of the time people reacted to Hiccup with frustration in all the instances she could think of, if they weren't straight up ignoring him or bullying him.

Didn't _anyone_ show him kindness?

His eyes were intent on the opposite team, waiting for the serve. She took a moment to check him out.

Hiccup wasn't unattractive, maybe not her type initially on first glance, but she found her gaze drifting to the mop of auburn hair that actually looked quite soft, and the freckles on his cheeks were kind of adorable. He glanced at her and she looked away, cheeks warm with a rush of blood that she blamed on the exercise. Were his eyes always that green?

Oh God, she could _not_ have a crush on Hiccup!

All of this could be a coincidence and it confirmed nothing. Maybe she was in denial, but nothing had been proven and even if Hiccup did turn out to be her soulmate, she wasn't sure if she was ready to accept it. Her soulmate had caused so much bitterness and disruption in her life and she carried plenty of emotional baggage.

The ball headed straight for her and Astrid jumped up, slamming it over the net.

“Nice,” Hiccup said, admiration in his voice.

Astrid grinned and held up her hand for a high five, fired up on adrenaline. Hiccup slapped her hand, an actual smile on his face.

For this moment, she could at least show him some kindness. Seemed like he needed it.

ooo

Hiccup felt like he was floating on air, a bounce in his step as he hustled to his next class.

Astrid had never been so nice to him! She gave him a _high five_. He even set the ball to her and she returned it for a killer spike.

He fantasized about Astrid more than he would ever admit to anyone. He prayed every day that she was his soulmate, even as he never saw any evidence she could be. It felt like some unobtainable dream and he felt such shame pining after a girl who in all odds was meant for someone else.

People had frivolous flings and dated those who weren't their soulmates all the time. Sometimes he wished he could have even just one date with Astrid, but it was probably too much to ask of the universe.

Snot and Tuff snickered behind him, but he ignored it. Astrid gave him a high five. She willingly touched his hand. Today was a good day and nothing was going to ruin it.

His fingers itched and he twirled his pen in his hand, struck with inspiration. He didn't think his heart could ever feel this light. Sure, it was pathetic, one high five. But it gave him so much _hope_.

He barely paid attention to class, the pen gliding on the underside of his forearm. A familiar braid took shape, flowing down the back of a beautiful girl, just peeking over her delicate shoulder.

Hope.

ooo

Astrid clutched her arm. Thank goodness she put her long sleeve shirt on after gym. As soon as the bell rang she scurried to the bathroom and yanked the sleeve up to see what her soulmate did this time. Her mouth fell open.

A stunning portrait graced the underside of her arm, the care her soulmate had put into the drawing struck her, right on the heels of the realization that it was _her_.

It had to be her. It was her exact braid, the slope of her cheek peeking over the shoulder...

She fell against the side of the bathroom stall.

She didn't know how to feel. So many emotions she couldn't process, but mainly just how bizarre it felt to see an image of herself staring back up at her.

A sudden realization seized her heart. Did he _know_?

What was this? Why did he draw something like this, knowing she'd see it, every single pen stroke would transfer onto her like a searing hot branding iron? Anger crept up her face. The overwhelming emotions shifted to intrusion, violation. Like he felt _entitled_ to her.

Her stomach twisted and she clenched her fist. She wished she had a big black marker. She'd black out the entire thing, show him he'd crossed the line, pour out all her rage and confusion.

The last class of the day had already started, but she couldn't leave the stall, not with the angry tears lining her eyes and the prickly lump in her throat.

Still she denied that it could possibly be Hiccup, because honestly she didn't want to be this mad at him. It could be someone else in their school, it could be someone who passed her on the street, it could be... it could be...

“Fuck,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Fuck fuck fuck...”

ooo

The last bell of the day rang. A minute passed and the bustle of chattering students packing up and slamming locker doors shut filled the hallways. Astrid waited until most of the noise calmed down before she emerged from the bathroom. She hurried through the hall and out to the parking lot, weaving around the last straggling students, ducking her head and half hiding her splotchy red face.

Fate must have been in a meddling mood, because who else would she run into but the possible source of all her emotional turmoil.

If she hadn't been distracted, she would've noted he stood a little taller, his posture less hunched and a glow about him.

Instead, his presence struck her like a thunder cloud.

He caught her eye and lit up, giving her a smile and a wave. She did not return the sentiment and his hand dropped, the smile along with it.

“Hey Astrid, is everything alright?” he asked she approached, clearly concerned for her.

It took her a moment to formulate a reply, her throat scratchy and those damn tears that threatened to break the line of her eyes.

“No, everything is _not_ alright,” she growled. She brushed past him.

He furrowed his brows, but followed a step behind her. “I'm sorry... if you wanna- um, talk- or, or... I mean, I'm always willing to-”

“Let me ask you something, Hiccup,” she said, spinning around to face him. He stepped back at her forcefulness. “You draw on your arms all the time. What does your soulmate think of that?”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then a look of sadness settled on his face. “I... guess I don't know. I don't... I don't think I have one.”

“That's stupid, why would you think you don't have one?”

“No one's ever responded or drawn anything back. I just figured they would've said something by now.”

Astrid seethed. “Maybe, your soulmate doesn't appreciate being a walking art gallery, did you ever think of that?”

He hunched his shoulders. “No,” he said meekly.

“Maybe your soulmate doesn't want you drawing all day. Maybe it completely and totally disrupts their whole life and they can't ever wear short sleeves, or go to the beach, or go a single day without getting distracted by the feeling of pens and markers and paints on their skin, all the fucking damn time!”

He watched her silently, a hollowness to his eyes that she loathed knowing was her fault. He looked absolutely shattered, the exact opposite of how she had made him feel just hours earlier in gym.

This wasn't what she wanted, but all her frustration came pouring out and she couldn't stop it. It was a wet raw kind of anger, one tear slipping onto her cheek and she swiped at it, leaving a harsh red mark on her skin. What was one more.

He lowered his head and looked at the ground, like all the life had been sucked out of him. “I honestly didn't think there was anyone out there for me. I thought... if someone had been getting the drawings, they would've said something, anything, even if it was to ask me to quit. I would never intend to cause my soulmate that much trouble.”

She huffed, unable to handle the roiling course of her own emotions and the contrast of his flat voice. The conversation had crushed him.

“Why do you draw on yourself all the time? Why not use your notebook paper?”

He shrugged, still unable to look her in the eyes. His hair hung over his face.

“It's just, even tattoo parlors get permission from soulmates, only assholes get a tattoo without clearing it with their soulmates, and you just... draw all over yourself like it's only affecting you!”

He winced. “I thought it was only affecting me,” he said, his voice wavering.

“Well maybe it's not. Maybe you should think of someone other than yourself.”

He looked up. “Why do you care?”

She reeled back. “What do you mean?”

“Why do you care so much about what I do with my body?”

She huffed. “Because it isn't just your body, it's your soulmate's body too.”

“And how does that affect you?”

Her mouth fell open. She wasn't prepared for this. She couldn't answer this. She wasn't ready for the truth.

“Well, I mean... I...” She stammered, grasping for any explanation.

Hiccup latched on, a steely look in his eyes. “What does it matter to you? Why do you give a shit about me? No one else does. If my drawing on my arms doesn't affect you, it's none of your business.”

“It is my business,” she hissed.

Hiccup stared her down and set his jaw. Before she could protest or stop him, he whipped out the pen stashed on the side pocket of his backpack and drew a rough line on the back of his hand.

Astrid gasped and recoiled, grasping her own hand like she had been burned.

Hiccup's mouth dropped open as the proof rocked them both to the core.

Astrid bolted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh boy I am so sorry for that horrible cliffhanger! I'm glad I'm able to post this quickly cause my track record is just as horrible lol. This also was supposed to be only two chapters and now I'm thinking it will be about four. I don't know why I do this to myself...

Hiccup withered to his knees in the middle of the parking lot.

The best and worst conversation of his life sucked the air out of his lungs, like he had been punched in the stomach. He lost her. He lost her before he ever got to have her.

The utter elation he should have felt was completely overshadowed by the fact he had blown it.

He laughed, a tear escaping down his cheek. Astrid is his soulmate. His deepest wish, prayers answered, and she wants nothing to do with him. The whole absurd situation felt very on brand for his life and it was all his own damn fault.

The pain in his chest came in waves, so debilitating he couldn't move. If only he could salvage the situation, fix it, win her back, _something_...

He didn't remember the drive home. He had no idea when he lurched to his feet and made it to his car, somehow drove on autopilot without getting into an accident, and stumbled into the bathroom to wash the offensive drawing from his arm. He scrubbed at the skin so harshly it almost bled. After every trace of ink had been scraped off he fell into his bed, broken and numb.

This was worse than not having a soulmate at all.

ooo

Astrid peeled into her driveway and sat in the car, swearing up a storm and slamming her fists into anything within reach. She startled herself when she accidentally smacked the car horn, which triggered another round of healthy curses.

She wore herself out and fell back against the car seat, scrubbing her eyes. That couldn't have gone more poorly.

He didn't deserve any of the things she said to him, but she couldn't reconcile her anger at the history of his habits. She huffed, recalling the things he said now that she could reflect on the conversation.

He didn't think he had a soulmate. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. He wasn't purposely defacing her body or causing her annoyance. He simply didn't realize his actions affected someone other than him.

_He didn't think he had a soulmate._

She sniffled and shook her head. How awful. In a world focused on pair bonding, picture perfect relationships, and the notion that there was someone out there for everyone, he existed believing that he was alone and excluded. The way everyone treated him every single day further backed the idea.

She exacerbated the whole situation by never responding to him. If she had just given him something he wouldn't have kept building her frustration, he would've realized someone was on the other end. This whole mess was all her own damn fault.

The portrait of her had been simple admiration; he didn't realize she would see it. She overreacted.

She pulled up her sleeve and frowned.

The drawing was gone.

She put her head in her hands and leaned on the steering wheel.

ooo

They needed to talk. They _really_ needed to talk, but Astrid didn't know how.

He avoided her at school. They had a couple classes together but he skipped every day, much to the teachers' confusion and the students who saw him present earlier. She didn't see him in the halls nor the cafeteria at lunch. His car was parked in the lot but she never saw him near it.

She felt horrible. The longer she ruminated on their conversation, the worse she felt. She should apologize, but she didn't know where to start. They weren't friends and she wasn't the greatest at saying sorry.

The biggest glaring consequence of their fallout was the lack of drawings on her arms. Not even an accidental pen mark or the smudges on her middle and pinky fingers she had become used to. Her heart ached. The fight had been fueled by her resentment, and now she missed it. No caresses of ink, no soft swipes of a ballpoint pen. Her arms remained bare, a harsh reminder that she broke it, broke _him_.

Drawing was his refuge and she took that away from him. He probably hated her now.

After a whole week without seeing any evidence of him, in school or on her arms, she couldn't stand it any longer. Twilight settled in as she sat on her bed, twisting a pen in her shaky fingers with her heart stuck in her throat.

She held out her palm, hovering the pen over it. Before she could change her mind, she wrote.

_Hey_

She closed her fist and exhaled, heart racing beneath her breastbone. Would he respond? After a dizzying minute, she startled when she felt an answer on her skin. She opened her hand.

_?_

A question mark, well that was at least something. It wasn't a non-answer and it wasn't him ranting at her to leave him alone.

She wrote _Can we talk?_

He took a moment, but he responded. _Okay_.

She tapped the pen into her palm. She had too much to say and passing notes on each other's skin wasn't very efficient.

She wrote on her wrist. _Is there somewhere we can meet up tonight?_

His responses were delayed, but at least he engaged with her. _Do you know the cove up on Raven's Point?_

She was quick. _I do_

This time he was quick too. _Meet me there in half an hour_

_I'll be there._ She scrambled off her bed, brushed out her hair, and dug in her closet for something nicer to wear than the pajamas she had on, settling for jeans and a cute sweater. The cove could get chilly in the evening.

She told her parents she was going out, found a flashlight, and hauled her mountain bike out of the garage. The breeze cooled her face as she rode toward the woods.

The full moon shone so brightly she didn't need her flashlight when she found the cove. It lit up the basin, a lone figure standing at the edge of the shallow pond, skipping rocks across its surface.

She toed the kickstand down on her bike and set it next to Hiccup's. She scuttled down the rock embankment and walked up to his side. They stood together silently for a bit as he continued to skip rocks on the pond and avoided meeting her eye.

She picked up a rock and tried to do it too, but it sunk with a spectacular splooch.

“I guess you're better at this than I am,” she said ruefully, clearing her throat.

“You just need a smoother rock. See, a flat one, like this.” He showed her and flung it sideways across the water.

“That was amazing,” she said. “That was a good five skips.”

“Mm.”

They watched the water ripple and catch the glow of the moonlight. Hiccup stuck his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

She scuffed a toe in the sand. She should be the one to initiate the conversation; she brought them out here and she needed to apologize.

“Hiccup, I-”

“Astrid-”

They both stopped and chuckled, despite the heavy air between them.

“Ladies first,” he said.

“I'm sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn't have blown up at you. I... well I mean...”

He shrugged. “You had good reason to.”

“No, no I really didn't-”

“I don't hold it against you.”

“But you didn't deserve that,” she insisted.

He swallowed and didn't answer. He still hadn't made eye contact yet.

“I was just, I was in shock, and I didn't handle it well at all.”

The corners of his mouth turned down and she couldn't tell if it was from sadness or disapproval.

“Yeah, I get that,” he offered, turning his head away.

“Hey, it's not because it was you-” she tried.

“Astrid, you don't have to explain, I get it.”

“No, _listen_ ,” she huffed. This wasn't going smoothly. “Okay, I mean. I was in shock it was you. But you have to understand, I've had some form of drawing or markings on me for a long time now, just constantly, and I've had to live my life that way not knowing why or who was doing it. It all sort of crashed when I realized the last drawing was _me._ It meant whoever was doing it had seen me and I... I reacted poorly.”

His silence unnerved her so she kept talking. “I took it out on you and I'm sorry.”

After a long beat he asked, “When did you figure out it was me?”

She ran a flustered hand through her bangs and puffed a sigh. “The day you set the science lab on fire, kinda. I saw the four lines on your wrist, the same that were on mine. And then the drawings on your arms matched mine. I was in denial... I'm not explaining this well.”

“It's an adjustment,” he said evenly.

“Yeah, it is. Not a- like a _bad_ one. It's just...”

“We move in totally separate social circles.” He shrugged, closed off and distant.

She wished he would look at her. Any sincerity she managed to convey fell flat when he just gazed out over the water.

“That's not a bad thing.”

“The people you hang out with don't really accept me,” he said. “Most people don't.”

She shook her head. “People don't take the time to get to know you, Hiccup.” _Including me_ she thought guiltily. That needed to change.

“Probably hard to see past the chip on my shoulder,” he said with a rueful chuckle.

She smiled and briefly touched his arm. He turned his head, looked at the spot where her fingers brushed his sleeve and then up at her face.

His eyes almost glowed in the moonlight, a silver hue cast onto the side of his face, illuminating his cheek and glinting in his hair. Astrid felt butterflies flutter in her stomach.

“Why are you here?” he asked softly. “I thought I had ruined everything.”

“Fate decided we're perfect for each other. I want to find out why.”

He gazed at her face for a moment before a true genuine smile graced his lips and he looked down with a shake of his head. “This is just... crazy.”

“Yeah,” she laughed. “It really is.”

“I thought you hated me.”

“I don't hate you. A little frustrated, sure. But I don't hate you.”

“It was hard to tell sometimes,” he said honestly. “You were never mean, but you also acted like I was invisible.”

“I'm sorry for that. I should have stuck up for you. The things they say to you, it's not right. I'll do better from now on.”

Back to avoiding eye contact, he pursed his lips with a little nod, accepting her apology. She'd have to work on that too.

She stepped around him and held his hand, ducking down to look him in the face. “From now on, you've got a friend, okay?”

A sad smile crossed his lips, but his eyes shone in the light. “Thanks.”

She stood up and tugged his hand, pulling him into a hug. He stiffened for a shocked moment, then tentatively wrapped his arms around her. She squeezed a little tighter and he melted into her embrace.

His reaction to her hug saddened her, a telltale sign he didn't receive physical affection often. She would have to change that.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” he said, looking at the ground bashfully.

“Why do you draw on your arms so much? You're an amazing artist and I've seen so many beautiful things, but then they're gone once you wash them off. Why don't you use canvases so they're permanent?”

“Oh, ah, okay yeah.” He nodded. “I'm kinda, you know, interested in tattoos and stuff. I want to be an artist someday, and maybe I was thinking about becoming a tattoo artist?” He glanced at her quickly, gauging her reaction for disapproval.

“Ahh, so that's why you draw on yourself,” she nodded. “The body is your canvas.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, you know, tattoo sleeves and all. Practice I guess.”

“You draw on both of your arms, you must be ambidextrous then?”

“Kinda, yeah! I mean you'll notice I can't do as intricate of work on my left arm though, because I'm left handed. I write with my left hand, but I've trained my right well enough to draw.”

“You're a south paw huh, do the quirks ever end with you?”

“I prefer the term 'unique',” he joked, flipping a rock in his hand.

She furrowed her brow, thinking. “So, do you want tattoos yourself then?”

“Oh, no, I mean, I know it's weird if a tattoo artist doesn't have any tattoos, but if you don't want any I totally respect that. I'd never get something you didn't want. Or anything at all, if you don't want one. That part isn't as important to me, it's the art that matters.”

“Okay,” she said, relieved. “It's not that I don't like tattoos or anything, they're cool. And I guess, maybe someday I might like something, but right now I don't know what I'd ever want, and you know, they're so permanent-”

“Totally understand,” he said.

“Good,” she said, unable to hide the relief in her voice. Art on her body would be a touchy subject for a while. “So, your dad, what does he think of the whole...” she circled her hand in the air.

Hiccup's shoulders hunched. “Yeah, you heard all that, huh.”

“I take it he's not thrilled.”

“Not even slightly.” He flicked the stone across the pond.

“For what it's worth, your art is gorgeous. Even if I was frustrated or annoyed by it, I was also in awe of it just as much,” she offered.

“Yeah?” The hopeful tone in his voice reminded her to tread carefully. One wrong word and she could totally crush him.

“Oh yeah, for sure. People complimented it all the time when I had to wear short sleeves. Sometimes people would ask me where I got the ink done and I'd have to tell them it wasn't mine. They thought it was professional work.”

“Really?”

She nodded emphatically.

“Huh,” he said, reflective.

Their conversation hit a lull and Astrid shifted uncomfortably. “So, um, about you and me...”

He sobered as he sensed the shift in mood and the inevitable awkward “what are we” talk.

“We don't have to tell anyone,” he said, distant again.

“Hey, I-”

“I know it's weird. I know what people will say. It's better if we don't.”

“I don't want you to think I'm embarrassed by you,” she said, with underlying relief he said it first so she didn't have to. “But I agree, things like this travel around school _really_ quickly.”

“Some of us have reputations to uphold, Astrid,” he said, a light joke.

“Hey,” she laughed, knocking him on the arm.

He smiled too, but it disappeared off his face quicker than she would like. She wanted to voice it, but the words “so are we dating or what” stuck in her throat. Somehow saying it made everything a little too real.

He sighed. “I guess it's pretty late. I'm sure we'll see each other around school.”

Confusion swirled in her stomach. This still felt like a letdown, but obviously the first move wouldn't be made by him.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to walk.

“Hiccup, wait,” she said. He stopped and looked at her.

She tried to gather her scattered thoughts. “Can we, like can we just keep this between you and me? Like this is our thing, just the two of us together?”

He furrowed his brows. “I thought that's what we just decided?”

“No, I know, but... but we...ugh! I don't know what I'm trying to say.”

He looked at the ground. “I didn't come here expecting we'd walk away a couple.”

That surprised her. “So you don't want to...?”

“No, no! I assumed, well I mean.” He ran a flustered hand through his hair and sighed. “I figured we'd talk it out and you'd go on your way, because your soulmate is, is _me_. I'd love to date you. But I know this is a huge thing to deal with and I don't expect anything from you. Ever, really. If you want your freedom, it's yours. It's your choice.”

It sounded like he was breaking up with her before they even started, like he thought she would never consider him as a partner even after fate tied them together. It irritated her that he shut things down before they even got a chance and hit her right in her competitive streak.

“I already told you I want to see why we're 'meant to be' and all that jazz. This isn't a goodbye. This is trying to figure out where we go from here. Is there a 'we?' I don't know how to define this.”

“You're dancing around the subject. I just assumed-”

“Well stop assuming! You make an ass out of u and me, haven't you ever heard that expression?”

“Why won't you just say the word 'date'?”

He called her out and she stopped speechless for a moment.

“Right, because I can tell you're not ready. Don't force it, Astrid. It's not good for you or me.” He started to walk away, his footsteps crunching on the rocky sand.

She growled in frustration. “Hey, listen you dumb boy! I don't mind dating, I just want to keep it between you and me for awhile!”

He stopped and pulled his hands out of his pockets. “Yeah?”

She blew her bangs out of her face. “Yeah. I don't mind, we can date. I just want it to be between us, as our little, you know, thing.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay then,” she said. “Glad we got that settled. Oh! I should give you my number.” She dug her phone out of her pocket. “Texting is much easier than passing love notes on the palm of our hands.”

He snorted and pulled his own phone out. She exchanged her number for his.

“It is getting kinda late. I should get going,” she said. “My parents will worry if I don't come home soon.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

They climbed up the cove and mounted their bikes, riding until they exited the woods and came to a stop.

“How far away is your house? I can ride with you if you want, to make sure you get home safely,” he offered.

“Aww, that's so sweet,” she said, pinching his cheek. “I'm a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, babe.”

“Even better! You can protect me from street ruffians then.”

Astrid laughed and nodded with her head. “It's this way.”

“After you, mighty warrior princess,” he said, gesturing with his hand.

“Was that sarcasm?” she said, narrowing her eyes at him with a smirk.

“Not at all. I am never sarcastic.”

“See, you're doing that thing where you're being sarcastic about being sarcastic and I can't tell what is sincere.”

He pushed off the pedals of his bike and rolled forward. “Sorry, it's a habit. Sincere about the beautiful warrior princess thing, sarcasm about being sarcastic.”

She pedaled faster to catch up with him. “It was mighty.”

“Huh?”

She flushed and tried to hide it, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “It was mighty warrior princess.”

“Why, what did I say?”

She grinned, zipping past him.

“Hey! This wasn't a race. Until just now,” he said, crouching lower on his bike for speed and pedaling as fast as he could.

Their laughter rang into the night as they both tried to outdo the other. All too soon Astrid's house came into view, tv light flickering within the window.

They hopped off their bikes and Astrid walked hers into the garage. Hiccup set the kickstand down on his and waited for her, hands in his pockets.

She approached him, eyes downcast and brushing her fingers through her windswept hair. “So, thanks for meeting me tonight. I really am sorry about everything.”

“You don't have to be sorry. I'm sorry, for never realizing I was messing up your life so badly.”

“Not your fault. I was being really petty about it; I should've just messaged you. Maybe you wouldn't have felt so alone.” She lifted her gaze to his face and her heart lurched at his expression.

His eyes shined in the dim light. “It doesn't matter. I'm just really happy we figured it out now.”

“Goodnight, Hiccup,” she said, looping her fingers lightly around his bicep and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. She grinned as he flustered and gave him a coy wave as she closed the door behind her.

ooo

Hiccup practically bounced back to his bike. His heart fluttered in his chest like it would burst with sheer joy.

He hadn't blown it, they made up and now they were _dating_? She _kissed_ him on the cheek, her lips physically touched his face! This was better than he could have ever hoped for.

He flew on his bike, waited until he was a block or two away from her house and whooped into the night, uncaring if anyone heard. He leaned back, pedaling with just his feet and punching his fists in the air.

“Yeah! I can't believe it, this is so crazy! Astrid is my soulmate! Astrid is my _soulmate!_ ”

He dropped his bike in the front yard, too excited to put it away. His parents had gone to bed but left the porch light on for him and he bounded up the dark stairs to his bedroom.

He flopped onto his bed, scooping up a sleeping Toothless. “Bud, you won't believe this, she kissed me on the cheek! She's not mad at me and we figured things out and we're dating. We're _dating_ , I am _dating_ Astrid Hofferson!”

Toothless squirmed in his grasp and he set the cat back on the bed. Toothless huffed and licked his ruffled fur, smoothing it back down into a sleek black sheet.

“Gee, Toothless, calm down,” Hiccup said flatly. “Glad you're happy for me.”

Toothless groomed his coat for a moment more, then slid under Hiccup's chin, whapping him in the face with his tail.

“You're just an absolute _delight_ of an animal.”

Toothless kneaded his paws in Hiccup's sleeve. “You're supposed to be happy for me, you're supposed to say 'Wow Hiccup, that's amazing, it's your biggest dream come true! I am happy and supportive of my best friend.' Instead you just hack up hairballs on my bed and beg for food at two thirty in the morning.”

Toothless turned around and put his butt in Hiccup's face, adding some claws to his kneading.

“Ow! Thanks for nothing, you useless feline.” Hiccup grabbed Toothless around the waist and rolled with him. “Aah oh no! Man vs wild cat, it's a fearsome deadly battle! The cat has sharp teeth and claws but the man has dexterity and size, who will win in this all out brawl!”

Toothless latched onto Hiccup's arm and play batted at him as they wrestled. Hiccup worked out his restless energy until Toothless hopped away fell onto his side, twitching his tail.

He put his hands behind his head and stared at the posters and glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. “Wonder what tomorrow's gonna be like. It's gonna be so weird.”

Toothless trilled at him.

“Right, it's probably not going to be any different. We can't really talk or let anyone know.” He sighed and smiled. “But I'll know.”

He sat up, unzipped his hoodie and tugged off his jeans. His momentary high came crashing down as he looked at his legs. Toothless sensed his mood shift and crawled into his lap.

“Yeah... she doesn't know about that yet.” He petted Toothless, feeling the purrs rumble in his chest. “No one does, really. She always wore long sleeves cause of me. I guess at some point she's gonna figure out why I never wear shorts.”

He removed his prosthetic and set it aside, crawling under his covers and settling down with his phone. He pulled up her number in his contacts. Bizarre, in the best most joyous way possible.

ooo

“Hey Hiccup, how's it going today? Destroy any more school property?” Snot mocked. Ruff and Tuff snickered. “Honestly, I should give you props, didn't think you had it in you. I certainly couldn't screw up so badly the cops and firefighters had to show up.”

“Fuck off Snot,” Hiccup said as he walked past with his lunch tray, not even glancing behind.

Astrid's eyebrows rose and she hid a smirk with her hand. Ruff and Tuff glanced at each other while Snot scoffed.

“Oooooooh, look at the balls on you man, where did this confidence come from all of a sudden?!” Snot turned back to the group. “Did you see that? So disrespectful.”

“Give it a rest, Snot,” Astrid said. “And you two numbskulls, you always pride yourself on being the perfect pranksters, but even you have to admit Hiccup did a better job of causing pyrotechnic mayhem than you ever could.”

“Ah, hold up Astrid, au contraire- there is an art to the perfect prank,” Tuff said loftily.

“Yeah, there's a difference between intent and happenstance due to incompetence,” Ruff added.

Astrid rolled her eyes. “So people aren't allowed to make mistakes now?”

“That depends, are you seriously defending Hiccup right now?” Snot challenged.

“There's no reason to be so hard on him.”

“The kid's a walking disaster. He's like a big red target and every shot is a bullseye,” Snot said, pointing and shooting a finger gun.

“Taking potshots at him doesn't make any of you better than him.”

“What's gotten into you all of a sudden?” Ruff asked, looking Astrid up and down shrewdly. “You've never taken this much interest in Hiccup before. Is there something you'd like to share with the class?” She rested her elbows on the table, steepling her fingers and batting her eyes.

“No, there's not,” Astrid said, defensive. “I'm just tired of seeing you pick on people that don't deserve it.”

“But why Hiccup specifically?” Ruff pressed.

“Um, because bullying people is wrong, Ruff. There are public service posters about it all over the damn school, or can you not read,” Astrid said stubbornly, grabbing her tray and standing up in a huff.

“What's got your panties all in a twist today,” Snot said, chewing a handful of fries with his mouth open.

“What, or more accurately, _who_ ,” Ruff said with a grin, tapping her fingertips together.

“In the words of Hiccup, both of you fuck off,” Astrid said over her shoulder, tossing her tray at the rack and stomping out of the cafeteria.

ooo

Astrid combed her fingers through her bangs and checked herself in her locker mirror. She had AP Lit with Hiccup next period and while she wasn't actively primping for his benefit, she also felt self conscious in a way she hadn't before. Prior to the whole soulmate reveal she would not have cared one bit if Hiccup thought she looked good; his opinion wouldn't have been even a blip on her radar. Now it mattered more than anyone else and it felt strange.

Hiccup's locker was half way down the hall from hers. She glanced over as he approached it, clutching a couple textbooks and thick folders under his arm.

As he reached for his lock Vincent and Ryan walked past. Ryan purposely checked Hiccup with a shoulder, smashing him up against his locker with a loud metallic thump of body against steel. Hiccup's books and papers scattered on the floor as the two brothers kept going, laughs ringing down the hall.

Astrid tilted her head in concern as she watched Hiccup uncrumple himself from the face of his locker and kneel down defeated to gather his papers, rubbing his bruised arm. His shoulders drooped like he carried the weight of the world on them. More students walked right over his things and no one stopped to help or even acknowledge him.

Astrid's heart burned in her chest but she stood rooted to the spot, unsure what to do. Her instincts told her to immediately go help him, regardless of what everyone in the hallway would think, but the whole spectacle gave her pause.

Two weeks ago she wouldn't have noticed Hiccup's plight at all. How many times had this happened to him?

“I'm a _horrible_ person,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. She shut the locker door and hurried down the hall.

Hiccup tried to collect sheets of paper between the feet of uncaring students hurrying to their next class. He looked up with sheer astonishment as she approached and fumbled with the papers he already grabbed.

“Astrid! Uh, hey, yeah... hi. Astrid.” He gave her a wide-eyed questioned look.

She knelt down and started helping. “Ryan and Vincent are absolute assholes.”

Hiccup snorted. “Understatement of the year. At least they didn't shove me inside the locker this time.”

She smiled. “I would've let you out if they did.”

He smiled back, rubbing the back of his head.

Students parted for her and some even snagged a stray paper or two and handed them to her. She shook her head at the state of his homework covered in shoe prints and tears.

She stood up and waited for Hiccup to switch out his things for class. People eyed them as they walked by but she didn't care. This had gone on for far too long and Hiccup didn't deserve to be treated this way by his peers. She resolved to help him, even if she had to use her status to do so.

They walked to their class together in silence. Astrid chose a desk two seats away so it didn't look too obvious and that her gesture could be taken by some as kindness.

Hiccup slumped in his chair during the lecture, clearly still mulling over the scene in the hall. Astrid drummed her fingers on her desk, chin in her other hand. She wanted to make him feel better. She drew a little heart on her palm and peeked at Hiccup.

He blinked in surprise, opened his own hand and looked down. A small smile crossed his face and he closed his fist. He didn't look at her, but a little smiley face showed up on the underside of her wrist.

Paying attention in class had never been an issue for her until now. Her eyes kept drifting to him. She studied everything about him, his body language, his hair, his face, his nose, his freckles. Hiccup was cute. _Really_ cute. Hot even. She hadn't noticed before, but she found plenty to appreciate now that she was looking.

His restless fingers twirled a pen and his hands fascinated her for a good five minutes. Was it normal to find hands this attractive?

“Ms. Hofferson? Care to answer that last question?”

She snapped back to the lecture, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at having been caught daydreaming. “Um...” The word _soliloquy_ appeared on the back of her hand. “Soliloquy?”

The teacher gave her a suspicious look, expecting to catch her off guard. “Correct. When a character narrates thoughts, feelings, or plans to the audience by talking to themselves, it is called a soliloquy.” The teacher moved on. “One of the most famous soliloquies is Hamlet's...”

Astrid scribbled _thank yooooou_ on her hand.

Hiccup wrote back _np_.

She nibbled on her pen cap. After working up the nerve, she wrote on her arm. _R u doing anything tonight? Want to watch a movie_

He responded s _ure what time?_

Excitement thumped under her ribs. _How about 7 at my house?_

ooo

Hiccup could barely contain himself. Astrid invited him over to her house. He would be at Astrid Hofferson's house. With Astrid. His girlfriend. His _soulmate_. Still bizarre, still couldn't believe this wasn't some cruel dream he'd wake up from where every day sucked and the whole universe worked against him.

He spent the rest of the day in giddy anticipation, almost working himself into a nervous breakdown. He frowned at himself in his bedroom mirror, attempting to tame his wild hair which maybe needed a trim.

“This is it, bud. It's a big night tonight.”

Toothless lazed on the bed, licking his paw and swaying his tail back and forth.

“You might not care about girls, but it's kind of a big deal for me. What if I mess up and she hates me and breaks up with me forever?” He tugged on his hunter green hoodie, the nicest one he had. He didn't really have dressier clothes. Never had anyone to impress.

He turned toward Toothless and tapped his left foot. “What if she figures this out and doesn't want me anymore?”

Toothless flipped onto his back, leaving his belly open for pats.

“Oh no, you're not getting me this time you little monster. If I give you tummy scratchies and you claw up my arm, what will Astrid think? I'm not falling for it.”

Toothless wiggled to up the temptation.

“You're a brat. You're the brattiest of cats. You're lucky I tolerate you and feed you.”

Toothless rolled back onto his stomach, affronted. He yowled.

“Oh get over it you big baby,” Hiccup laughed. Toothless turned his back and curled up on the bed to pout.

“I'll give you a kitty treat and all the scratchies you want when I get home, how about that?”

Toothless's ears perked up at the word treat and it appeared he was appeased. Hiccup went back to the mirror and the anxious attempt to comb his hair.

ooo

Astrid hadn't told her parents that she met her soulmate yet, wanting privacy and to avoid getting teased or interrogated.

As far as they knew, Hiccup was 'just a friend.' Even still, they told her to leave the door cracked open to prevent teenage shenanigans, according to her over protective father.

She sat on the couch, pretending to be absorbed in her phone and the text conversation with Heather, but every passing vehicle on the road made her look up at the window.

At 6:58 a car pulled into the driveway and Astrid sprang up, heart fluttering. Hiccup got out and walked up the drive, hand smoothing down his hair and looking just as nervous as her.

She opened the door before he could knock and smiled warmly at him. The slightly crooked grin she liked appeared on his face, easing the queasy butterflies in her stomach and setting the attracted ones aflutter. She invited him in and introduced him to her parents.

Astrid's mother asked if he had eaten dinner and offered him food. He had already eaten but she made popcorn for them anyway. Astrid's father was more stern than welcoming, but she smoothed it over, grabbing the popcorn and sodas for them and leading Hiccup to her room.

Astrid cleaned up all her stuff and dirty clothes-- especially bras and underwear-- on her floor so Hiccup could come over. A fluffy white down comforter covered her double sized bed, situated in the corner. Posters of sports figures and bands she admired adorned ice blue walls. A TV and dvd player sat on a dresser at the end of her bed so she could watch while laying down, and homework covered her desk on the opposite wall.

Hiccup glanced around, eyes wide with starry disbelief, like he couldn't believe he was actually in her room on invitation. He tried not to take up space, like he didn't know how to insert himself in her atmosphere without being awkward and stiff.

She wanted him to feel welcome and like he belonged. She grabbed his hand and led him to her bed, where they could sit down.

“You can take off your shoes if you want,” she said. He looked down at his worn in Converses and hesitated.

It didn't seem like a big deal, but she could sense his trepidation and wondered the reason behind it. “I mean, it will be more comfortable that way, cause we can lay on the bed to watch the movie.”

“Right, yeah,” he said, nervous. He slowly leaned down to untie his right shoe.

Weird, but obviously something was bothering him, so she didn't push it further. He took off his right shoe and started on the other, setting the pair aside. He tucked his left foot behind his right and remained seated.

She crawled on her knees to the inside of the bed next to the wall and sat, patting the space next to her. Hiccup reluctantly took her cue, spinning around and bringing his legs up onto the bed. He leaned back against her pillows.

“So, what would you like to watch?” she asked, reaching over him for the tv remote on her nightstand.

“Whatever you'd like. What's your favorite movie?”

“Oh, hmm,” she said, thinking. “There's so many!”

“What are you into genre-wise?”

“Action, for sure. Sometimes comedy, sometimes drama.”

“No romantic comedies?” he teased.

Astrid snorted. “If it's a good movie, sure. But not generally my first go-to?”

“Fair enough,” Hiccup grinned.

“Well what do you like?” she asked.

“All the romantic comedies. I only watch the Hallmark Channel and nothing else.”

She shoved his shoulder as he laughed.

“I thought maybe we could have some big misunderstanding, and then you could show me the meaning of Christmas or something.”

“Well we already had the big misunderstanding, so we're halfway there!” Astrid giggled.

“You're right, how silly of me. See you're already changing my cynical ways.”

“All right smartass, if you want the Hallmark Channel, let's see what's on.” Astrid flicked through the guide until she found it. “Oh look at this one. 'Elise, a single city girl hyper focused on her career as a journalist, follows a story to the small town of Sunny Valley. There she meets Grant, a dairy farmer whose ranch has been experiencing vandalism and strange happenings during the nights. Will she crack the case, or will Grant crack open her shell first?' Oh my God this one has it all, we're totally watching this.”

“Seriously?” Hiccup shook his head with mirth. “I was joking, you know. You don't have to do this to yourself. Or me. Or us, together in this room, when we could select literally anything other than this specific movie.”

“Really Haddock, you're not even slightly curious? Come on, it will be a new experience! We can make fun of it together.”

“Fine, I will watch it, but only if you allow me to make as many sarcastic comments as I want.”

“Deal.” She shook his hand and started the movie.

She snuggled into his side, not overly intruding on his personal space, but just enough to feel cozy. They shared the popcorn bowl between them and sometimes she'd “accidentally” go for a handful at the same time as him, just so they'd brush fingers and the butterflies in her stomach would flutter. He kept things light with his hilarious running commentary.

She didn't invest much emotional energy in the idea of having a boyfriend prior to all of this, but she had to admit, paying more attention to him rather than the movie was exciting. What other ways could she touch him, get closer, more intimate, without seeming too obvious? Even if she didn't have much experience, Astrid knew enough about the dating game that she mostly held the power in this situation and she shouldn't have to be the one to chase.

However, Hiccup's combination of respect for her boundaries and low self esteem meant he was unlikely to make the first move. Playing hard to get just meant she wouldn't be gotten, and that wasn't satisfying at all. Getting Hiccup to take that step would mean giving him some blatant hints while not seeming desperate.

This required a delicate dance of social cues he wasn't experienced enough to pick up. She wondered how to encourage him to take things up a notch without seeming obvious.

“Can you hand me my soda?” she said, nodding at the can on the nightstand.

“Sure.” He gave it to her. She adjusted her position, moving her toes along his leg to play a little footsie with him.

As her foot brushed against his, she noted with shocked alarm that it did _not_ feel even remotely like a warm human body part underneath his sock.

Hiccup startled, rolling off the bed and darting away from her, color draining from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops!!! This is also a bad cliffhanger I am SORRY!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so sorry this took me way longer to post than I was hoping! December and January are always crazy months for me and just a whole lot has been going on in my personal life. Anyway, here is the promised chapter and I know I left it on a pretty mean cliffhanger lol! 
> 
> I also want to mention that I just always appreciate any kudos or comments that you leave and if I don't respond to a comment please please don't think that I didn't see it or that it didn't absolutely make my entire day! As I mentioned I have so much I'm dealing with, working a ton of 40+ hour work weeks, virtual schooling my son, and I also have a 4-year-old and an infant, so it's just a lot of real life responsibilities and minimal me time lol. I have all the best intentions to respond to comments and if I missed yours or finally respond six months from now please don't take it personally! Thank you for taking the time to read and/or comment, I really do appreciate each and every one! <3

Astrid sat up, eyes wide. “Hiccup?”

“Sorry, sorry, ah... _fuck_. Sorry.” He paced around the room, hands dug into his hair.

“Are you okay? What...”

“Yeah, I should've told you, I'm sorry-”

“Told me what?” Her eyes dropped to his feet, curious. “Are you wearing something, or-”

He stopped his frantic pacing and hung his head. “I... um, I... have a prosthetic.”

Her stomach dropped and she flicked a hand to her mouth. “Oh my- you _do_?” She clenched her hand at her breastbone.

“Yeah. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you-”

“Don't be sorry, oh my God, _I'm_ sorry!” she exclaimed, sitting up straighter on her bed, horrified for invading his space. “I _never_ would've touched you without your consent-”

“You don't have to apolo- I mean, you don't need my... ah, you're... you're um. Okay with it?” he asked meekly, looking up at her through his lashes.

“Of course!” She took in the wary expression on his face. “Oh Hiccup, were you worried I wouldn't be?”

He sighed in relief, the tension leaving his shoulders. “Kinda, yeah.”

“You're fine, don't worry,” she reassured. “Can I ask how this happened? Were you born that way?”

“No, not born this way. It happened, um... recently, actually,” he said, downcast.

She felt absolutely floored, like a rug had been pulled out from under her. “It _did_? Does anyone else know about this? How did you not miss any school? What happened?”

“It was over summer break. I got a job with a landscaping crew to make some extra cash and learn how to be responsible, so said my dad. While I was working at this really fancy place, the kind that had lighting in their gardens, I ah, I-” he shook his head and bit his lip. “I ended up digging where an underground electrical cord was buried. It wasn't marked. I didn't have gloves on and one of my hands was touching the metal shovel... Received the nastiest shock of my life.”

Astrid gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. “Oh my _God_. That sounds _awful_.”

“Oooh it was. The current went out through my feet, knocked me on my ass, literally shocked my shoes off. I wasn't actually conscious for that, but it's what the crew told me happened. It was worse on my left side, whole heel was blown through and they just couldn't save it. They told me I was lucky I only lost a foot, because if the current hadn't found a path out of my body I would've died. I stayed in the hospital for three weeks and did rehab the rest of summer. By the time school started I could walk again, decently enough to hide it, anyway. I don't think anyone noticed.”

A memory surged up into her conscious and guilt flushed her cheeks. Busy halls, stuck behind him while trying to rush to class, annoyance at his slow pace and uneven gait making her late.

“I did. I did notice, Hiccup,” she said, emotion choking her words and tears lining her eyes. “I could see that you walked with a limp, but I didn't think about it beyond that. Which is... _horribly_ shallow of me.” She cupped her fingertips on her temple. “Sorry, that's making this about me, I shouldn't make this about me.”

“I don't expect you to have cared about something like that, Astrid.”

“Still. It's not right. I'm _so_ _so_ sorry.”

“There's nothing you need to apologize for,” he said softly.

She stared at him, wholly disbelieving. The abuse he tolerated every day was a monumental feat of character alone, but also living daily with an amputation at such a young age that no one knew or cared about.

Through all of this he thought he didn't have a soulmate waiting for him.

She felt like she had stumbled upon an incredible secret, cracked open an unassuming rock that everyone else passed over to discover a sparkling geode inside. How quickly he changed her attitude with his humbleness.

“You are the strongest person I have ever known,” she declared.

“Huh, what?” he said, confused.

“You're just... amazing. I never knew there was so much to you under the surface. The things you put up with and you keep going, it's nothing short of a miracle.”

“I'm not... all those things you just said. I'm not special-”

“Yeah you are. You are way more special than you realize. I would've crumbled a long time ago.”

The gears turned in her mind and the timing she saw the drawing appear on her arm, the black messy strokes and the figure holding his head in his hands lined up with last summer. She kicked herself now for not giving in and responding to him then. Had she known the significance she would have met with him in a heartbeat.

She held out her arms. “Can I give you a hug?”

He looked taken aback and she worried that she overstepped a boundary.

“You want to hug me?” He sounded incredulous and hopeful at the same time. She stood up and gently wrapped her arms around him, and another piece of her heart broke at his awkward and stiff reaction to physical affection.

It took him a moment, but he returned the hug and melted into her embrace.

She squeezed him tight, an arm around his waist and the other splayed against his back, trying to convey how much she cared. As she let go, she murmured in his ear. “Come on.”

His eyebrows rose as her fingers trailed down his arm, clasping his hand and leading him back to her bed. He followed in a trance, green eyes glowing in the blue light of the tv, letting her pull him close as she snuggled all up in his personal space this time, still holding his hand and resting her head on his shoulder under his chin.

She wanted to kiss him.

And he probably wouldn't initiate on his own, so she had to take matters into her own hands.

The air between them became serious and tension filled, a stark contrast to the lighthearted laughs they shared moments prior for the duration of the movie. Astrid's attention focused solely on him instead of the movie's climax. She caressed her thumb lightly over the back of his hand, hyper focused on every part of her touching him.

She tilted her face toward him, just to give him a hint. His eyes darted to her and back to the screen. She could sense his nervousness, hear his heart and uneven breaths against her ear, even as his face drew toward hers too, like a magnetic force bringing them closer.

She glanced at the door to ensure no well-meaning but nosy parents ready to spoil a good time were hanging around. Her movement distracted him from the movie; he followed her line of sight, then turned his face to hers, coincidentally lining up their mouths and electricity sparked in the negative space between them. He inhaled a sharp breath and his eyes dropped to her lips.

Her heart fluttered in her chest, heat pooled down into her fingers and toes. Just the slightest tilt of her chin closed the distance between them, her lips brushing faintly against his, giving him a chance to process, to back out or go all in.

He responded, tentative and unsure but incredibly sweet. She slightly squeezed his hand to encourage him while pressing closer, inhaling his pleasant scent and leaning into the kiss, his mouth soft on hers and the warmth of his breath fanned over her cheek.

Tingles cascaded down her spine, pins and needles prickled her fingertips and fire burned in her belly. The longer the kiss drew out the more confidence he seemed to gain, matching her little movements and squeezing her hand back.

She pecked his lips and drew back for a gasp of air. His bangs hung in his eyes, his face intense and focused on her. She gave him two more quick kisses and checked the door again.

Satisfied no one lurked in the hallway, she turned back to him and smiled. A return smile blossomed on his lips and lit up his entire face. The sheer amount of genuine happiness in his expression tugged on her heartstrings, melting away any lingering bitter taste the subject of soulmates had always left in her mouth.

Okay so _maybe_ Fate knew what it was doing.

The credits rolled and she gave him a cheeky grin. “So what did you think?”

“Not as cheesy as I was expecting, but also gave me plenty of snarky material. Predictable plot, scripted wooden dialogue, cliché romantic tropes. Essentially a dollar store romance novel in film format. Two and a half stars, probably will never watch again.”

“Strong words from Hallmark Chanel's harshest critic.” She laughed and eyed his fluffy hair, looking irresistibly soft. Unable to resist the temptation, she buried her fingers in it, delighted that it felt as good as it looked. She naturally weaved a little braid. “So how long can you stay out?”

“A little longer,” he shrugged, allowing her to finish the braid and start on a second one. “What do you wanna do?”

"Mmm, how about we put on a random show and then not watch it.”

His eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

She smirked, pointing the remote at the tv and selecting the first thing that popped up.

“Another Hallmark movie huh.”

She snorted and leaned in.

“Hey, I was watching that,” he said against her lips.

“And I just said we _wouldn't_ watch it!” She dug her fingers into his ribs and he squirmed with a chuckle.

“So what were we gonna do instead? You might have to spell it out for me,” he grinned.

She pecked him on the lips between each letter. “K. I. S. S.”

“O. K.”

“ _Such_ a dork, Hiccup!”

ooo

Keeping secrets was fun.

Over the next few days excited thrills sparked in Astrid's chest, or other decidedly lower places on her body, every time she saw Hiccup in passing, sat a desk away from him in class, or checked him out during PE. She couldn't help daydreaming about the night they spent cuddling and making out on her bed.

Caught up in the new relationship infatuation stage made it hard to hide from Heather and Ruff, who noticed the change in her demeanor and asked questions like “What's got you all hyped up” and “You're certainly cheerful these days, who took you for a round in the janitor's closet on second floor.”

To which she responded, “No one actually uses that musty ass closet as a make out spot except you and your revolving door of boyfriends, Ruff. I'm just excited because I finally saved up enough babysitting money to buy AirPods, thank you very much.”

“Oh, I thought maybe it had something to do with Hiccup and all the time you two spend batting lovesick eyes at each other,” Ruff said casually. Astrid punched her in the arm.

She didn't want to admit it, but Heather and Ruff were good friends. She had changed and they cared enough to notice. Also Ruff was like a bloodhound on a trail and once she caught the scent she wouldn't give up until she found her mark.

“I didn't think you owned shirts with short sleeves. I was beginning to suspect you were hiding robot arms or something.”

Astrid scoffed at Ruff but offered no explanation.

“You haven't scrunched up your nose like you're smelling sour milk once whenever the subject of soulmates is brought up,” Heather chimed in.

Ruff narrowed her eyes and locked crosshairs on her target. “You know who it is.”

“What? No I don't, what are you even talking about?” Astrid said, a little too loudly.

Ruff steepled her fingers. “That's fine, keep your secrets then. We'll figure it out sooner or later.”

“There's nothing to figure out,” Astrid said, poorly hiding her fluster.

“I can read you like an open book, sweet cheeks. It's not a matter of if, but when. And whom. Whomst.”

“You are both ridiculous and nosy.”

“Don't keep secrets and I wouldn't have to poke my nose in where it belongs,” Ruff said.

“The saying is 'poking your nose in where it _doesn't_ belong.'”

“I know. And I'm saying my nose belongs all up in your business.”

Astrid looked over Ruff's head. “Oh my God, is that Eret in tight jeans and a muscle shirt?”

Ruff spun around with heart eyes. “Where?!”

Astrid darted off in the opposite direction.

“Okay, that one's on me, fool me once and all that. You can run but you can't hide, A-cakes!”

She shook her head as Ruff called behind her, taking out her phone to shoot off a quick text.

_You have to stop staring lovingly at me in class, Ruff isn't as stupid as she looks_

Three dots appeared. _Huh?_

_She's onto us and she won't stop teasing me about it_

A smirky emoji appeared. _If she's figuring it out, I don't think it's because of me_. He followed it up with the blowing a heart kiss emoji.

“Ugh, what a dork!” Astrid snorted at her phone, even as her heart fluttered in her chest.

_I see you checking out the back of my pants in gym, it's rather obvious by how sweaty you get._ He topped it off with a wink emoji and the smiley face wearing sunglasses.

_That's from the exercise, idiot!_ She sent the rolling eyes face.

_Suuure, likely story. If you want, you can come over to my house tonight and get sweaty with me, away from Ruff's prying eyes and completely accurate insinuations_

She stopped and leaned against the door frame to her next class. He invited her to his house with loaded innuendo about the activities they could do while there. Her fingers shook as she accepted.

_I guess I could come see what a night in the life of Hiccup Haddock looks like_

His response was quick. _Not much tbh, I heard there's a thing called 'friends' which directly correlates to another thing called a 'social life.' sounds fake but okay lol_

She frowned, he often used self depreciating humor and while generally said in a lighthearted tone or with his sarcastic flare, she worried it actually came from a place of loneliness and hurt. Now that she paid attention, most of his interactions with people were either indifference or unkind. Sometimes he hung out with Fish, but it seemed their friendship was based on mutual enthusiasm for certain geeky things and not much emotional support.

She sent _Who cares about friends when you have a gf tho?_

_Very true! I hope you're excited to meet Toothless :)_

She scrunched her nose. _Who the hell is Toothless?_

_My absolute very best friend._

ooo

“Your.... absolute very best friend is a _cat_?”

Astrid stood at the door to his room, eyeing the sleek jet black cat languidly licking his paw on Hiccup's bed.

“Yup! He's my best little bud.” Hiccup scooped up Toothless, who flattened his ears and chomped on Hiccup's hand. “Ow! Listen you persnickety little ass, be nice for Astrid!”

He tossed Toothless back onto the bed. Toothless sat down and focused his intense green eyes on Astrid as she stepped into the room warily.

Hiccup furrowed his brows. “Are you okay with cats? You look a little weirded out right now.”

“Aside from the fact he just tried to eat your hand, you didn't mention you basically have a mini panther as a pet.”

Hiccup chuckled. “He's harmless really, he'll warm up to you!”

Astrid didn't take her eyes off Toothless. “Cats usually don't like me. I'm more of a dog person.”

Hiccup's face fell a bit. “Oh, okay.”

She held up her hands in a non-defensive gesture. “I don't hate cats or anything! And Toothless is a very beautiful cat. I just hope he likes me as much as you do,” she said sincerely.

A smile returned to Hiccup's face. “He'll get used to you. I already told him that you're my soulmate and he's obligated to be nice to you. Isn't that right, bud?”

Toothless sniffed, stretched out his back leg and began licking it again.

“Gee Toothless, give Astrid some space, you're smothering her,” Hiccup said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Astrid giggled.

A big shelf filled with books and a built-in aquarium drew her attention.

“Oh wow, what do you have in here?” she asked, crossing over to it. She peered into the tank. “Oh, those little guys! They have a funny name, a-something-”

“Axolotls,” Hiccup supplied. “They're really neat.”

“Aww you have a black and a white one, so pretty!” Astrid gently pressed a fingertip to the glass, making sure not to tap it. The white axolotl swam up toward her hand.

“She thinks you have food,” he explained with a smile.

“Is it time to feed them?”

“Yeah, sure. You can feed them if you want.” He opened a cabinet door at the bottom of the bookshelf and brought out some pellets. “Just open the top flap there and drop them in.”

She did as he instructed, watching the tablet float to the bottom. The white axolotl nosed around it, opened her mouth and sucked in the pellet with a snap. “Oh my gosh, she's so cute!”

“Yeah, they're nice pets. I like watching them. So does Toothless, I have to yell at him at least three times a week to quit swiping at the tank.”

The black counterpart realized there was a food situation going on and swam around looking for a meal. Astrid dropped another one in and watched him eat.

“I'm going to come over all the time just so I can feed these little guys,” she said.

Hiccup grinned. “That's fine with me.”

She grinned back at him cutely and brushed her hair behind her ear. “So, what else do you do for fun around here?”

“I play a lot of video games, I guess?” He gestured to a dresser with a tv and several game systems hooked up. “And of course, I draw a lot, but ah, you already know about that. Sorry, again, for ruining your life.”

Astrid laughed. “You didn't ruin my life. Honestly, I'm kinda glad it was you.”

He raised his eyebrows and blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah. You've made me see things in a different light and I should've eaten that slice of humble pie a lot sooner. I was really selfish. I only thought about how the drawings affected me and I didn't give much consideration for the person drawing them.” Her eyes softened. “The one time I did was when you... drew the, you know, after your accident. I almost broke down and messaged you, to ask if you were okay, but the whole pettiness and pride thing won over and I didn't. I'm really sorry about that now. You went through that alone and I should've been there for you.”

“Astrid,” he breathed, and her heart fluttered in her chest at the tone of his voice and the wet sheen in his eyes. “Don't worry about that. I just... I can't even tell you what it means to me, that we're here now. The past doesn't matter. Everything from this moment forward does.”

Overcome with the urge to kiss him, she stepped forward, took his hands in hers and leaned in to close the distance between them with a soft press of her lips to his. He squeezed her fingers.

A furry warm body passed between their legs as Toothless rubbed himself against Hiccup's shins.

“Yes, hi. You are a part of this too, apparently,” Hiccup said, looking down at Toothless, who doubled around and slinked between them again.

Astrid laughed and knelt down, holding out the back of her hand so Toothless could sniff it. He sat down on his haunches and regarded her, dismissing the proffered hand and making no attempt to be friendly.

“No? Alright, I get it. I told you cats don't like me much,” she said. “I think he sees me as an interloper.”

“Toothless, you're being rude,” Hiccup scolded. “You have to be nice to her or she won't come over again and hang out with us.”

Toothless raised his kitty nose in the air, then gave in and rubbed his head on the back of her hand. She gave him a pet and he padded away to jump up on the bed.

“Well, at least he doesn't hate me. I think,” Astrid said, amused.

“He's sulking.” He shook his head at his naughty cat. “Don't worry, I'll get him to clean up his act, otherwise he can kiss his kitty treats goodbye.”

Toothless perked up at the word treat.

“No, you're being standoffish and impolite to Astrid, you do not deserve a treat.”

“Maybe if I give it to him, would that help?”

Hiccup thought it over. “We could try. Here.” He grabbed a bag of treats and Toothless immediately jumped off the bed and meowed.

He poured a couple into Astrid's palm and Toothless circled impatiently at her feet, standing on his hind legs and pawing at her shins.

“Oh my, look who's warming up to me now,” she laughed. “A little whiff of tuna and you're all over that, huh?”

She knelt down again and fed one to him. He chewed happily, allowing her to love him up. She scratched under his chin, he closed his eyes and a rumble vibrated in his chest.

“He's purring!”

“I knew he'd be fine with you, he just has to play hard to get or something.” Hiccup rolled his eyes with a smile.

“He's a very nice cat,” she said.

“Thanks. I don't know what I'd do if you two didn't like each other.” She could hear the relief in his voice.

“So.” She stood up and brushed off her hands. “What do you wanna do, now that your pets are all happy and fed?”

“I mentioned something about getting sweaty?” he said innocently.

She laughed. “You were serious about that, huh.”

“I'm teasing. Mostly. But if you wanna... ah...”

She smirked. “What's on your mind, Haddock.”

He blushed brilliantly, then placed a hand over his heart. “How much I cherish and respect you.”

“Ha!” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “I'm willing to bet there's something else on the mind of a seventeen year old boy alone with a girl in his bedroom.”

“Was the cherishing and respecting not believable?” he said, his pitch rising.

She placed her palm on his sternum, backing him up to his bed. He stumbled and fell onto it. She straddled his lap.

“Let's just say I'm thinking about the same things,” she murmured, dipping in for a sizzling kiss as his hands settled on her hips. One kiss lead into another, neither wanting the contact to end. She parted her lips and he did too, deepening into full on making out. His hands wandered up and down her back until they both came up for air.

“Wow, you really cherish and respect me too,” Hiccup said breathlessly, and Astrid giggled.

“Come on, dork.” She grabbed the strings of his hoodie and pulled him down to the bed. He followed, laying over her and continued where they left off. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cradled his hips with her knees.

Toothless hopped up onto Hiccup's back, claws out, and started kneading.

Hiccup scrunched his shoulders in pain and knelt up. “Seriously?! Bud!”

“Is he jealous?” Astrid snorted, leaning up on her elbows.

Toothless purposely draped his tail in an exasperated Hiccup's face.

“Toothless, knock it off!”

ooo

They settled into a routine in the following weeks, simultaneously finding it easier and harder to keep their secret. Her actions were scrutinized more than Hiccup's, and as long as she didn't interact with him in any sort of personable way or treat him differently in front of the general student body, they otherwise seemed to go unnoticed. Ruff and Heather heavily suspected however, being her closest friends. They often made insinuations, joking and serious, which she did her best to shrug off and avoid admitting to anything.

She wasn't sure when she would be ready to go public with her soulmate bond, but the longer she put it off, the longer she could enjoy the bubble.

Astrid organized her textbooks and folders, packing her backpack with the needed items for homework that evening. So absorbed in her mental schedule, she didn't immediately notice the ruckus down the hall.

A small crowd gathered and a shout caught her attention. She couldn't see past the group of huddled students, but her stomach dropped when she realized the circle formed around Hiccup's locker.

She abandoned her backpack and hurried down the hall. She stood on her tiptoes to see over the crowded bodies all focused on the action in the middle.

Hiccup struggled in the beefy grip of Ryan, his back forced up against the lockers. Victor stood off to the side, smug smirk on his face. Victor possessed the brains of the two brothers, Ryan the brawn. Victor targeted individuals with barbed verbal insults and Ryan dealt out physical pain. Together they formed one whole bully capable of taking down anyone in their sights. All too often Hiccup was their victim.

“You think you're so smart,” Ryan sneered. “Smarts won't save you from a fist in your face.”

“You're right,” Hiccup wheezed, kicking at Ryan's shins and wrestling with the hold on the front of his shirt. “I do think I'm smart. I also think concussion protocol missed you one too many times on the football field.”

“Brave of you to mouth off when my brother has you pinned up like a punching bag. Brave, or incredibly stupid,” Victor said coolly, inspecting his fingernails.

“He's been extra mouthy lately, haven't you noticed that?” Ryan said.

“I have, there has been an evident increase in his confidence. I'm not sure where it's stemming from,” Victor said, shrugging. “Nor do I really care. Do get this over with, I am growing bored.”

Ryan held up a Sharpie marker and twirled it in Hiccup's face. His eyes followed the marker with apprehension and he renewed his fight against Ryan's grip.

Marking someone's body without their consent caused double damage, to the immediate person and their soulmate. It was extremely disrespectful and highly frowned upon.

“Ooh, scared of a little marker? Wonder what poor soul is tied to you, huh?” Ryan said gleefully, flicking the cap off. “Let's see if they like my artwork. Hope they don't mind a little _anatomy_ practice; I've gotten a lot better at drawing dicks.”

“Stop it!” Astrid called above the crowd, attempting to push her way through people. “Leave him alone!”

Hiccup squirmed, clamping his hand around Ryan's wrist in an attempt to ward off the Sharpie. Ryan pressed against Hiccup's lesser strength, the marker tip edging closer.

Astrid broke through the ranks of students and shouted, her hand outstretched.

“No!”

Ryan managed a swipe across Hiccup's face.

A black streak appeared on her own, from the bridge of her nose to the cheekbone. A stunned hush fell on the crowd as Astrid froze, clapping a hand over her cheek in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuuuuhhhh.... whoops, this one's even worse isn't it lol...  
> I gotta stop doing that... :) :) :)  
> More to come, I'm not done with these two dorks just yet! :D

**Author's Note:**

> I AM SORRY I WILL WRITE AS FAST AS I CAN AAAHH
> 
> Also I apologize as life for me has been SUPER crazy this year and I am behind on a lot of things, so if you do leave a comment please know that I appreciate it SO MUCH and I read and cherish each one!! It's always my best intention to respond but I do have three kiddos, one is an infant, and I just moved so I really can make no promises as to when I can reply back! But I really do thank everyone if you take the time to read and leave a comment or kudos! <3


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